8 Tips for Swimming Pool Safety

Teaching your child how to swim does not mean your child is safe in water. If you have a pool, protect your children by supervising them at all times and being prepared in case of an emergency -- and by following these pool safety tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

• Make sure adults are trained in life-saving techniques and CPR so they can rescue a child if necessary.
• Surround your pool on all four sides with a sturdy five-foot fence.
• Make sure the gates self-close and self-latch at a height children can't reach.
• Keep rescue equipment (a shepherd's hook -- a long pole with a hook on the end -- and life preserver) and a portable telephone near the pool.
• Avoid inflatable swimming aids such as "floaties." They are not a substitute for approved life vests and can give children a false sense of security.
• Children are not developmentally ready for swim lessons until after their fourth birthday. Swim programs for children under four should not be seen as a way to decrease the risk of drowning.
• Whenever infants or toddlers are in or around water, an adult should be within arm's length, providing "touch supervision."